St. Luke the Evangelist was a native of the Hellenistic city of Antioch in Syria, a city famous for the agreeableness of its situation, the riches of its traffic, its extent, the number of its inhabitants, the politeness of the manners, and their learning and wisdom. He was born in Antioch of Syrian or Greek parents in 31 A.D. He was a physician ( Col 4:14) and it is believed that he may have also been a slave, as it was not uncommon in his day for slaves to be educated in medicine so the family would have a resident physician.

St. Luke is commonly thought to be the only non-Jewish New Testament writer to have written books in the Bible. He is the writer of the third Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles and his writings have been proven to be historically accurate. His writings place the life of Christ and the development of the early Church in the larger context of the Roman Empire and society. The Gospel of St. Luke focuses on the poor and oppressed, encouraging tenderness and compassion for the less fortunate. Luke wrote his Gospel in Greece at Boeotia, where he died at the age of 84.

St. Luke is always represented by the calf or ox, the sacrificial animal, because his Gospel begins with the account of Zachary, the priest, the father of John the Baptist. The ox represents Christ's sacrifice. His feast day is celebrated on October 18.

Oh, St. Luke, you were animated by the heavenly Spirit of love. In faithfully detailing the humanity of Jesus Christ, and showed his divinity and his genuine compassion for all human beings. Inspire our physicians with your professionalism and with the divine compassion for their patients. Enable them to cure the ills of both body and spirit that afflict so many in our days. Amen